Although Lionel Messi has settled the battle for the greatest glory and stripped Mbappé of the top scorer title at the 2026 World Cup with 8 goals and 4 assists, French striker Kylian Mbappé remains the all-time leading scorer in World Cup final matches with 4 goals — 1 in the 2018 final against Croatia and a hat-trick in the 2022 final against Argentina.
By contrast, Messi has scored only 2 goals in his World Cup final appearances, both of them in the famous Lusail epic. With Argentina having qualified to face Spain in the 2026 World Cup final, attention is now turning to the Argentine star and whether he can seize this individual record. Messi needs a hat-trick against Spain to reach 5 goals and surpass Mbappé's mark to stand alone as the highest scorer in World Cup final history, or 2 goals to equal the existing record.
Although scoring three goals in a final is a complex and rare feat achieved only by England's Geoff Hurst in 1966 and Kylian Mbappé in 2022, Messi's continued high-level performances and his pivotal role in the Albiceleste attack leave the door open to the possibility of breaking that record and adding a new chapter to his legendary catalogue of achievements.